


Unexpectedly Memorable

by punchdrunkpoet



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: F/F, Gen, bad date AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-04
Updated: 2016-01-04
Packaged: 2018-05-11 16:37:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5633647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/punchdrunkpoet/pseuds/punchdrunkpoet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Laura's dud of a first date leads to a chance encounter with a certain Carmilla Karnstein.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. And So It Begins

Laura Hollis frowned a little when her date pulled out her chair, but she grinned again when Danny sat across from her and said: “I don’t really know how pulling out your chair plays into Professor Laman’s lecture on Feminism, but just so you know-I know you can pull out your own chair.”

Laura retorted that she wasn’t sure how Professor Laman would feel about his TA asking his star student on a date. Danny ignored this and browsed the specials menu. To Laura’s satisfaction, her joke earned a chuckle from a dark haired woman at a nearby table. She could just see the eyes, hidden behind soft curls, flit back to a tattered book held in pale, delicate fingers. Laura smiled as the bookworm picked up a glass of red wine, swirling it before sipping with surprising daintiness. Danny had yet to look up from the menu, but spoke aloud; “Boy, this place is expensive.” Laura blushed. It had been her choice to eat here. “Sor-“ A waiter cut Laura’s apology short. Danny ordered water with lemon, and Laura followed suit, eager to ease the tension she read in Danny’s face. ‘She really is beautiful’ thought Laura.

Below Danny’s eyes, her cheeks bore a pink sunburn, a badge of her triumph in the afternoon’s track events. Auburn hair framed her face, and Laura found herself lost-tracing the trails of freckles. She couldn’t help but think of stars and constellations.

“Your freckles make really cool patterns!” Danny raised a single eyebrow before slowly looking up. “What? What does you mean? Not really sure that’s a compliment, Laur.” Laura’s cheeks burned. She thought they must have been as red as wine. “L-like stars? They’re, uh, lov-lovely.” If fumbling over words won prizes, Laura might just have more trophies than Danny. “Huh. That’s sweet of you.” Danny spoke distractedly, but behind her, those same amber eyes looked at Laura. The woman lowered her book further and gave Laura a nod of approval. Laura’s expression must have conveyed how hopeless she was feeling, because a thumbs-up followed the approving nod. This stranger’s kindness renewed Laura’s hope for the evening.

After a ten minutes of thick silence, the waiter returned, a bottle of champagne in tow. Wordlessly, he presented two elegant glasses and raised his arm to pour when it was caught mid-air.

“Woah, there pal, I didn’t ask for that and I’m sure as hell not paying for it.”  
Laura’s breath caught in her throat; “Danny!”  
She meant it as a reprimand but it left her throat as more of a plea.  
The waiter used his free hand to pry Danny’s vice grip free from his elbow before speaking: “This comes to you compliments of Ms. Karnstein.”  
He glanced towards the bookworm. Danny frowned. “I don’t think we know her.”

“This establishment is owned by her mother. Ms Karnstein ensures that it runs smoothly on her mother’s behalf.”  
Danny, satisfied with this explanation, returned to her analysis of the specials. Laura took this opportunity to sneak another look at the bookw- at Ms. Karnstein but she was gone. Laura searched the sea of tables with as little desperation as she could manage. She caught a flash of dark curls in the amber streetlight outside.

  
“I’ll, uh, I’ll be right back!!” Danny didn’t look up. “Mm-hmm, okay”  
  


...to be continued (if you guys want it to be, that is. let me know)


	2. Unforgettable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura learns that Ms. Karnstein isn't the stranger she once thought.

Laura pushed past the heavy oak doors and nearly fell into the street, but stumbled onto something else entirely.

“WOAH, what the fuck?”  
Laura’s head was spinning and she quickly realized why- she was literally in the arms of a stranger.   
“Oh frick, I am so sorry!!,” She sputtered, straining to return to a fully upright position, “Oh, it’s…it’s you.” She shivered slightly in the crisp spring air.  
“Uh, yeah. Hey, I guess.” The bookworm grinned.

“I can’t imagine someone has done that here since 1698.”  
Laura could only respond with a frown of confusion.  
“This is one of the older places to eat in Styria, and people who came here were rumored to _waltz in the moonlight_.” She spoke as if illuminating a room, but Laura didn’t understand.   
Laura’s hand rose in protest; “Wait, what does that mean? Waltz in the moonlight? Did they turn into vampires when it was a full moon?”  
“I’m pretty sure that’s werewolves, cupcake, but regardless- it means waltzing in the moonlight.  Waltzing was scandalous enough, but to do it at night, outside and alone with a partner? My, my, get your pitchforks and torches.”  
“How was _waltzing_ scandalous?”

“Well…” Ms. Karnstein extended her hand in an offer to-waltz?  
Laura looked at the pavement, then to the restaurant windows.   
The bookworm followed her gaze: “What, the not-so jolly ginger giant still has your attention? I thought you were bailing on that shipwreck.”  
“What?! Hey! Danny is _not_ a shipwreck” Laura’s fists felt like lead balloons at her sides, an impossible anger that refused to become airborne.  
“Hey, hey, Laura, no. I mean the date itself, not whatsherface in there.”  
“Oh.” Laura felt her chest deflate, followed by her hope as she again looked inside-this time to find Danny on the phone, grinning and obviously trying not to.

“Wait, how did you know my name?”  
Now it was Laura’s turn to be amused at embarrassment. “I remembered you.”  
“From what?” Laura prompted.

“You remember two months ago, that Save the Sea-Otter thing one of your friends was in charge of?” The bookworm frowned, looking at the pavement.  She kicked a pebble.  
“Yeah, of course, Perry was super proud of how much we raised.”  
“Well, you remember how that lab-rat friend of hers wrecked the plates that your sponsors bought, right?”

Laura laughed at the memory. Laf had tried to cut the cooking time in half by rewiring the oven or something, and left all the food out in the meantime.  
The dark-haired woman looked up at the sound of Laura’s laughter.  
“All that food-spoiled, Perr was sooo mad.” Laura laughed again, remembering the furious face surrounded by corkscrew curls.

“Well, you remember that kid who had a crush on your friend Kirsch? Will? Well, that just so happens to be my little brother. So when he offered free catering to impress that big puppy of a jockstrap-“

“Holy crap. Carmilla.”

Carmilla felt a smile threaten at the corners of her mouth.  In its place, she threw up a hand, upturned, as if to say “guilty.”

Laura acted more quickly than she meant to-hugging Carmilla tightly around the neck. 

The taller woman seemed frozen for a moment, and Laura felt the frost spreading to herself and nipping at her ears before Carmilla melted into the hug, wrapping her arms around Laura’s waist. 

 

“You’re welcome, cupcake.” Carmilla’s lips brushed against Laura’s ear, the hot breath turning to mist in the pale, yet warm light.

 

(If you want another chapter, leave a comment to let me know)


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